Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the enactment of the Civil Protection Clause (民事保護令) of the Domestic Violence Preven-tion Law (家庭暴力防治法), which provides legal protection to individuals who are forced to leave home.
"This clause was the first of its kind in Asia. According to the district courts, from the enactment of the clause on June 24, 1999, to April this year, a total of 63,933 protection cases have been processed, while 40,691 cases have been settled," Minister of the Interior Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said yesterday.
Su said that 42,942 cases of domestic violence were reported to domestic violence centers last year, and that the number of cases dealt with last year by 113 Women and Children Helpline reached 77,400.
"These numbers indicate that, on average, 117 incidents of domestic violence take place every day, and that many of these incidents do not come to the attention of the authorities," Su said.
He said that although he was new to the job of interior minister, he was very concerned about the issue of domestic violence.
"Every morning I open up the newspapers and am saddened to see terrible things happening to victims of domestic violence," he said.
The Civil Protection Clause includes the provision of support services and legal assistance, including restraining orders against abusers, counseling sessions and covering legal fees for victims of domestic violence.
Following appeals by a number of welfare groups and legislators, who last week called for preventative measures within the regulations to be enhanced, Su said the Ministry of the Interior would provide an additional NT$100 million in funding to local governments throughout the country.
Also yesterday, a telephone helpline for men in distress with a tendency to act violently toward family members came into service.
The helpline, 0800-013-999, is also for the use of men who have quarreled with their spouses and cannot bring about reconciliation, men who face domestic violence, men who are frustrated by not being able to communicate with family members or men who feel misunderstood by family members.
The helpline is available from 2pm to 10pm from Tuesday through Saturday.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yang Li-huan (
"We hope the interior ministry will work towards providing this helpline 24 hours a day, just like what 113 Women offers, to enable men in distress to call at any time," Yang said.
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